In The End
by Mafia Courtesan
Summary: Sparrow has travelled the barren wastelands for one reason; to reunite with her past lover. Mister Burke. She hasn't forgotten him, and hopes that he hasn't forgotten her. But she's in for a rude awakening that may change the meaning of her life.
1. Living Memories

**Chapter 1:** Living Memories

_"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."_

_-- Herman Hesse_

The wasteland was a dangerous place. No place for a girl who had little combat or guns skills. It definitely wasn't a place for me, that's for sure. But there was one reason why I was here, one sole reason why I risked my life night and day; and that reason was him. I could still remember the way his sweet aroma flooded the air, the way he smiled and talked. And most of all, the way he whispered promises to me in the darkest hours of the night. Promises that I desperately wanted him to make true. That's what kept me going, I needed to quench my thirst for Mr. Burke, even if I died trying. I felt the worn out paper through the thin fabric of my pockets. A small smile curled my lips and I looked down towards the ground, thinking of him. My feet just kept walking on their own as I drifted off into sweet memory of the man I loved.

The icy rain came down hard and fast all around me. I was lost in the wet darkness; I stumbled around trying to find my way out. Why had I decided to leave my little town when I knew that it was going to do this? The rain storm was horrible and it hurt to get pelted with the heavy raindrops that the clouds no longer wanted. This was just a minor storm too. My grandparents had told me that rain storm were much gentler back in their days, before the war. I could and couldn't believe it. There was a time where rain storms weren't like this? I suddenly stopped when I could hear something coming, probably raiders with my luck. I tried to look for somewhere to hide, but there wasn't, or anything that I could see that is. My heart began to race as I tried my hardest to look. Still, nothing. I put up my arms to feel around but all I touched was dead trees and rocks. I began to panic as the voices came closer and closer, what if they wanted to kill me, or worse, enslave me? Then something touched my shoulder and I nearly had a heart attack. Over the harsh wind, I heard

"Miss, are you alright? Why don't you come with me, alright?"

I looked up to find myself staring into the dark of eyes of a man who appeared around the age of twenty or so. I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend that I wasn't dead, but decided to take his outstretched hand. It was icy but warm to the touch. He gave me a sweet smile and then we wandered over towards the other gentlemen waiting for us. He held me closely; making sure nothing would hurt me. He was warm and inviting, and protected me. It was like he was sent from God himself to help me. I couldn't help but smile at his kindness. He was my savior, the sweetest one I had ever had.

That was the first time I had encountered him. From that moment on, he held my heart in his hands, even if neither of us knew it at the time. Days upon days, he spent every moment that he could spare with me. People in my little town began to see us as inseparable, wherever one went, the other would go. Those were the sweet times; the bitter was when he had to leave. He had stolen my heart and he knew it. To make it worse, he wrote letters of love to me and I'd write back with the same sweetness. We were both in love, even if we were separated from each other. Then one day, he just stopped, leaving me alone with just memories and words on tarnished paper. Days bled into months, months bled into years. I had written but a single letter to him, but I had never sent. I kept it as a reminder that nothing ever lasts, no matter how much you love it. Then one day, I decided to send it to him personally. I needed to see him, even if he may have forgotten me. I needed to look into his eyes once more and to hear him talk to me with those gentle words again. I simply needed him. It had almost brought tears to my eyes just thinking of the day he left me. But something caused me to be aware of the present again. Someone was screaming at me, telling me to look out.

I realized that I had arrived at the tower where I had heard he was currently staying. I looked towards the tall tower to find myself being told to keep a look out, or else. I walked to the small speaker thing and heard a voice say

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to see Mr. Burke." I replied quietly

"Mr. Burke? He's a busy man, lady; he doesn't have time for you." The voice replied agitatedly "Now get your pretty ass out of the way."

"You let me the hell in. I didn't just walk across half the fucking wasteland just to get denied!" I suddenly bellowed. I had a quick temper, and this was just making it even shorter. There was a sudden silence as I waited for a response. A few more minutes passed, and then I heard

"Sorry miss, you're clear to pass."

The gate squeaked as they opened it and I simply glared at the man I had just finished speaking with. I wandered up towards the large door and opened it. I hoped with all of my heart that he was there. I hoped.


	2. Distant Wishes

**Chapter 2: **Distant Wishes

_"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."_

_-- Herman Hesse_

The building was worn down and old, just like most of the buildings in this fatal era. Surprisingly though, it was still standing. It made me wonder as to how such a place was still standing. As I gazed at its mightiness, I noticed a man behind a desk. He looked as if he wanted to ask me something, but didn't know how. I wandered over to him and he finally spoke

"Excuse me Miss, but what might you be interested in?"

"I'm here to see a Mister Burke." I responded quite calmly.

"What might your name be?"

I paused for a moment and then answered "Sparrow."

"Sparrow?" He echoed his question

"Yes, Sparrow. Now may I go see Mister Burke?"

"Right this way, Miss Sparrow." He said and headed for the elevator behind him. I quietly followed behind him as he opened the elevator and walked into it. Once we were descending upwards, I began to think. What would I expect when I got there? How would he react to seeing me after seven long years? I fumbled with the bland silver ring on my finger as I began to worry. I nearly decided to go back and forget all of this.

But if I did that, I'd be a coward.

I sighed heavily and decided to stay. Besides, we were already at the top floor and there was no sense in going back now. The man opened the squeaky doors and began to head towards a man who was sitting outside a closed door. From a distance, I could hear them both speaking but couldn't understand due to it only being whispers. Occasionally, they'd look towards me then get even quieter. This went on for a few minutes then the first man disappeared leaving me alone with the other. He stared at me and I quietly stared at him. We held each other's eye and he spoke

"You here to see Mister Burke?"

"That's right, I am." I replied quietly

"He's crazy; I don't know why you'd want to see _him_." He replied distastefully.

"You take that back." I hissed at him between my teeth "He is _not_ crazy."

"Jesus, sorry. Didn't mean to offend you." He said and headed for the door to unlock it. I shot daggers into the back of his head as he unlocked the door. He had crossed an invisible line that shouldn't have been crossed. It seemed as if minutes had passed slowly turning them into hours. He escorted me to the next door which apparently had led outside to a balcony. Before I opened the door however, I took a deep breath. For seven long years, I had waited and dreamed for this moment. Now, having it real, I had no idea what to do. My heart began to race with all this anticipation. My throat ran dry but my eyes began to tear up. Before anything else happened, I simply knocked on the door and went inside. The man who escorted me disappeared back to his station leaving me in the presence of Mister Burke and another man. They had been talking but stopped when they noticed me appear. They both had turned around to look at me. Even though his eyes were covered, I could sense his eyes lingering on me. My lips were in a hard line as I looked at him. He had caught my eye but a few seconds later, the other man asked

"Good evening m'dear, it's a pleasure to have your presence here."

It was hard to take my eyes off of the man in the white suit, but I did. I smiled kindly towards the other in scarlet and greeted him as well. As I did so, I could feel _his_ eyes on me. It was exciting the way they lingered on me and it nearly took my breath away as they did so. I was glad that I hadn't decided to turn around to go back to nothing. I then turned to greet Burke as well. I smiled kindly and quietly said

"Good evening to you too, sir."

"Good evening my dear, it's a pleasure." He responded with the same smile that I had fallen in love with so long ago. He was so real that it felt almost fake. I wanted to take him into my arms and kiss every part of him like I had so many times before. Then, the other spoke to me, in which I paid attention to

"Now who might you be?"

"Sparrow." I answered with a sweet smile "Sparrow Spektor."

"Well, my dear Sparrow, I'm Allistair Tenpenny. Have you met my good man Mister Burkes?" I wanted to simply say yes, and ask him to let him and I runaway together. He didn't know how bad I wanted to scream it out, to make him see that he meant the world to me, but I simply said

"No, but I would love to."

"Mister Burkes, come meet my dearest Sparrow. She's quite the catch!" He said with a hearty laugh. I blushed slightly at his last comment and turned around to face Burkes. He came a little closer to me and held out his hand for me to shake. He smiled kindly towards me and said

"She is rather beautiful, isn't she?"

I took his hand and shook it lightly. He didn't realize that he just chiselled a small crack in my heart. This wasn't going the way that I had expected it to. Then I realized something, what _had_ I expected when I came here? Did I expect him to greet me with open arms and a kiss? Sadly, I did. The moment his hand slipped from mine, I felt the pain of loneliness again. The coldness chilled my arm to the bone and I clenched my fist. It wasn't the same warmth that I had just experienced from Mister Burke, it just wasn't the same. Mr. Tenpenny offered me a seat to sit in and something to drink. I refused the drink but half-heartedly took the seat. Mister Burke joined him as well and it cut my heart even more. They began to talk and sometimes I would simply shake my head and say "M'hm" or "Yes" if they ever asked me my opinion. Deep down inside, it was harder to be in his presence and have him ignore me than to have him not there at all. Not once did he look at me, nor did he ask me anything. It's like I didn't even exist to him, which hurt a lot. I noticed the sun going down as they spoke of their affairs and jobs together. I had drifted off into simple memories of sweeter times, but my thoughts were broken with Mr. Tenpenny saying

"My dear Sparrow, it seems that it's getting rather late and it would be a dreadful thing to send such a pretty little girl off into a cruel world. Would you like to stay for the night? I have an extra room that I could lend to you."

"You're very generous Mr. Tenpenny, but I-"

"It's no problem at all my dear girl! It would be my honour to!" He said and began to dig in his pockets for the key. I simply smiled as he did so and once he found it, he handed it to me. I took the small iron and stood up. I looked to Tenpenny, gave a small curtsey, and began to make my way to my room. I didn't want to stay any longer than I had to, so I decided to ask the man who stood guard to show me to my room. As I left, I felt the sensation of Mr. Burke's eyes on me and it simply made my heart break even more. I knew he remembered me, but why didn't he say anything? Was I not good enough, or something simply a part of the past? I simply took in a long, deep breath and felt the tears starting to form.

He didn't know how much it hurt to be forgotten.


	3. Sleeping With Sorrow

**Chapter 3:** Sleeping With Sorrow

_"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."_

_-- Herman Hesse_

My feet were just as heavy as my heart but it felt as if I were to fall to pieces at any given moment. I trudged my way to the man whom I would ask for directions to the room that I would be staying in. I managed to choke back the tears and straighten myself up a little bit to make myself presentable enough to ask him without myself being questioned. I took in a deep breath and asked

"Excuse me, but Mr. Tenpenny said there was a room available for me to stay tonight. Do you mind showing me?"

"You look rough. Not what you expected princess?" He said loudly as he stood up.

"I don't know…" I whispered and followed behind him. I had no wish to fight right now. Within moments, we were at the room. It was only about a few feet away from Mr. Tenpenny's room and it saddened me more than I already was. I walked into the room and noticed how terrible the wallpapering was. I stared at it for a moment and then realized that the man was no longer there. I walked towards the door and shut it quietly, trying hard to not make any noise. The moment I closed the door, I broke down. I slowly slid down the door with my right ear upon the door. I curled up into a little ball as I let the warm, salty tears flow. My chest tightened and I was surprised that my broken heart didn't shatter from it. My long dark hair curtained my eyes and tears and it made me feel a little better. Even though I was alone, I didn't like people watching me cry or show any sadness. It made me feel vulnerable and I didn't like that feeling. I touched the old rug beneath me and felt the rough texture. As I did so, I noticed the ring upon my finger and I suddenly stopped. I looked at it with sad eyes then I suddenly felt angry. I tore it off my finger and stood up. I knew there was a balcony somewhere and I had a little idea.

I walked through the door and was greeted by a chilly night wind. I looked over the balcony with the ring clutched in my right hand. I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes, but if it made me feel any better, I would get rid of him piece by piece. Slowly, I looked at the little piece of jewelry in my hand and for a split second, I didn't want to go through with this. But that second was up and I knew this is what I wanted to do. With one quick motion, it sailed over the balcony and flew straight towards the ground. I didn't want to look over, but instead stared out into the distance. I walked many miles to come and see him, and this is how he repaid me? Warm, angry tears began to well in my eyes and I ran back inside not wanting to be seen by the dead world. Through wet eyes, I managed to find my way to the bed.

I was curled up into a tight ball as I just lay on the bed. I thought of many things as I lay there hurting. My eyes were sore and puffy and all the life in me had been drained. I thought of all the times he would tell me that he loved me and that he always would. So why hadn't he said anything about knowing me, or welcoming me. Or even acted like he _used_ to know me? No tears had formed this time; my heart was tired of crying. I traced strange curly designs into the blanket as I drifted from memory to memory, remembering everything just one more time before I'd try to suppress it all. It was so bitter to live this life now. There had been one main reason that I had lived, and now it seemed utterly pointless to. I just wanted drift away, completely. So I closed my eyes and within moments, the darkness had engulfed me.

The sun was big and round in the sky, yet it wasn't hot or at the very least, warm. There wasn't any breeze, or wind, but it was freezing. I looked down to my feet and noticed that I was wearing nothing but a simple cotton-white sundress. Then I heard someone calling my name

"Sparrow! Sweetheart, look over here!" I looked out to the barren waste land and saw nobody. I squinted to try and see but the sun was just too bright. My hand had automatically risen to my brow in hopes to keep the glare out of my eyes but it was just as futile. Then I shouted back

"Where are you? _Who_ are you?"

"Don't be silly my sweet little Sparrow, don't you recognize me?" The deep voice replied. I felt the shivers sent down my back but it wasn't the coldness that had done it, it was him. He took my hands in his and smiled at me. He was icy to the touch and I wanted to let go of him but he held onto me like a vice grip. I surge of terror ran through my body now, but his sweet smile calmed me. The man looked at me with those beautiful dark eyes of his and I felt mesmerized. I wanted to kiss his soft lips so badly, but he spoke too soon

"Do you remember me now, my sweet?"

"Mister Burke…" I cooed quietly "I do remember you…"

"That's right my beautiful little songbird, I'm here for you, just like you wished for."

"Promise that you'll stay?" I pleaded quietly. His eyes had a hidden sorrow deep within them but he said

"I promise." He breathed and his lips touched mine. They were inviting and soft, but icy. It was like I was kissing ice. I wanted to stop, but he overpowered me and I couldn't. I needed to let go but I couldn't. His hands tightened around my wrist and it hurt. Then he suddenly stopped kissing me and said harshly

"What's wrong Sparrow? Am I not good enough?"

"What do you mean?" I whispered "You are good enough for me. How could you say that?"

"Well why did you tell me I wasn't? Why did you want me to leave?" He growled. The tears clouded my eyes, just like the sun was clouded over. The sun was disappearing yet it began to get warm, then very hot. His bone-chilling hands were still upon my wrist and they seemed to get tighter. His eyes were spiteful and angry. What had I done to get him so mad? He began to mumble something and the heat just kept getting more intense. He let go of my right hand and began to reach for something in his pocket. I watched through wet, teary eyes as I watched him bring out a gun. He glared at me and whispered between his teeth

"You don't love me."

I closed my eyes and waited for him to shoot. I could feel the burning sensation of the rain and the wind that cut me. Then I jolted awake before anything else happened.

I sat up and looked towards the door as I heard the knocking. I touched my forehead and I was in a cold sweat. I sighed heavily as I walked over towards the door and questioned who it was. There was no response and I opened the door. I came face to face with the man who had shown me to my room. He had a strange look upon his face accompanied by a strange smile. I cocked my head to the side a little and said

"Hello? What do you want?"


	4. Simple Illusions

**Chapter 4: **Simple Illusions

_"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."_

_-- Herman Hesse_

_

* * *

_

**Authors Note:** Warning, sexual referencing. You've been warned.

* * *

He watched me with dark eyes as if he were thinking something cruel. I stared at him, bewildered and his smile crept along his lips. He still hadn't answered me. I looked at him and backed away slowly and began to shut the door. But it hit something hard. I looked to the ground and saw his foot there and as I looked at it, he said

"Not so fast princess, you're going to let me in."

"No, I'm not." I said and glared at him. He growled and then pushed the door open rather harshly causing it to crack and echo down the hallway. I looked at him, and wondered what exactly he was here for. His lips once again curled into cruelty and his eyes were harsh. As I backed up, he shut the door behind him with a sinister snap. This wasn't going to be good. My fingers trembled and my heart sunk, what was going to happen to me? My stomach churned and my mind twisted; the next thing I knew, he had pushed me up against the wall. I could smell him, a sickening putrid smell that flooded and traumatized my nose. And quietly, he whispered with a sick tongue

"My, you really are beautiful…I wonder how you look without your clothes?" Before I could say anything, he began with my sweater. He slowly began to unzip my heavy coat and fished around. I was simply too afraid to say anything, or think for that matter. My lips shuddered just as my whole body did when his hands went under my shirt and touched my warm skin. He laughed cruelly and said

"You feel marvelous, you know that? I'll be gentle, I _promise._" He said in an acid like tone. I knew his true intentions; he wasn't planning on being gentle. He planned on making me hurt and be in pain, did he not realize that I already was? Tears began to well in my eyes as I waited for him to continue. As he reached for my pants, a knock broke through the tension. My heart practically leapt out of my chest as I sprang for the door. His hand instantly snapped to my wrist before I could get far and he squeezed with all of his might as he brought me to my knees. Tears then formed once more as he bent down to whisper into my ear. In his acid tone, he quietly said

"You better not say a fucking word, or _I'll kill you_. You hear me you stupid bitch?"

I simply nodded but he tugged roughly on my arm. And he quietly said

"What? I didn't hear you? Speak up."

"Y-yes." I choked out and he let go of me roughly leaving me on the ground with tears. Behind me, I heard the balcony door open and close quietly then the light knocking on the door flood the air once more. This time, however, it sounded more urgent. Quietly, I picked myself up off the ground and wiped my eyes. As I reached and opened the door, my heart raced. I came face to face with him, my sweet Mister Burke. He towered over me and I had to look up at him through stinging eyes. My wrist throbbed and he said

"Sparrow, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you before. I didn't realize that you were still alive." Hearing him speak my name almost killed me. He didn't realize how much it meant to be remembered. As I looked to the ground, I let him in. As he walked in, I shut the door quietly behind him and we both stood in silence. I looked away, too ashamed to let him see the sad, over joyed tears that filled my eyes. Minutes passed, and he said

"Sparrow, I'm sorry that I made you cry. Can you forgive me?"

"I-it's not you…" I choked out, but I knew full on that it was him and what had just happened. Silently, he moved towards me and took me into his arms. I didn't look at him, but he forced me to. I stared at him with sore, red eyes and he simply smiled at me. It was that beautiful, shy smile that I had fallen in love with. As more tears streamed down my cheeks, he simply wiped them away and kissed me. His lips were soft and gentle, but most of all, the way I remembered them. I was simply too frazzled to think, or to comprehend what was going on. But as soon as he started, he stopped. Still holding me in his arms and making me look at him, he said

"Well what's bothering my sweet little Sparrow?"

"I…I-I can't tell you!" I stuttered out and looked towards the door, simply afraid

"You can tell me anything, I promise you." He said and looked at me. I took in a deep breath, moved towards the bed and brought him with me, hand in hand and sat down. I needed to collect my thoughts and as to how I would word this. I looked to the ground as I thought, and seconds later I decided that I would tell him

"Alright, you know that guy, outside of Mr. Tenpenny's suite?"

"Yes? What about him?" He questioned in that dark voice

"He…he…"

"Speak to me Sparrow; I know something happened, I heard it." He said and took my hand in his

"He tried to force himself on me…" I said and nearly broke out into tears again. But not seconds after, I did as he brought me into his arms. Quietly, he whispered into my dark hair

"My Sparrow…my sweet little Sparrow…it's alright, you're safe." I was tempted to tell him what he had said to me just before he left, but I didn't. As he continued to hold me and I cried into his chest, I remembered the old times that we had shared together. As I let the tears flow, he said something else

"It's been too long my Songbird, let's make the night ours, shall we?" I simply looked at him and remembered the sweet smile he used to always give to me. And just like old times, he gave me that same smile now. Now I realized why I had come this far across the wasteland; it was to hold him in my arms once more. Quietly, he placed his lips to mine and slowly laid me down. I closed my tear stained eyes and let him have me, not just soul, but body too. Tonight would be ours.


	5. Near To You

**Chapter 5:** Near To You

_"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."_

_-- Herman Hesse_

_

* * *

_

**Authors Note:** Last and final chapter. The song Near To You by A Fine Frenzy works well with this chapter.

Enjoy~

_

* * *

_

The morning arrived and I was in a glorious mood. I had awaited for one of these mornings for far too long, but here I was, living the dream that I had oh so wished for. Next to me was the man of these distant dreams and he felt so reassuring there, entwined in the sheets with me. I simply closed my eyes however, and tried to believe that this was real and that everything was alright now. I opened my eyes again and looked to the ceiling, then down to the clothes that were scattered upon the floor. My torn sweater, his suit, my underwear, his too. They all looked so peaceful and meant to be scattered upon the dirty rug. But silently, I knew I had to stop living this dream, even if it was for a mili-second. Quietly, I got up without disturbing my Mister Burke, or so I thought. As I moved just an inch, I heard him mumble

"My sweet Sparrow, lie back down, please. It's the morning, we have all day."

"You know I'm an early riser…have you forgotten?" I responded and looked back at him with a smile

"No, but you do know that I sometimes like to sleep in." He said and smiled at me. I looked down to him and placed a small kiss on his cheek and began to get up. Before I could go far however, he took ahold of my waist and brought me closer to him. His skin was warm upon my cold back and it tingled as we stayed so close. His arms were around me and once again I was in my heaven. I rested my eyes for but a moment until he whispered into my ear

"Do you remember those nights we used to tell each other how we'd runaway together?"

"Yes? What about them?" I cooed back

"Well, we're going to make them real tonight." He replied in his soft tone. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest, happy but unsure. I fell silent and listened to his heart beat next to mine. He must have picked up on this unsureness for he said

"My sweet, what's wrong?"

"I…I just don't know. We used to promise each other, but it never happened…I'm just unsure is all…I mean, I would love it if that actually happened." I answered quietly and it once again fell silent. Mere seconds passed and then he turned to lie on his back with me on top of him. He looked me straight in the eye and said

"You listen to me Sparrow Spektor, we will make this happen tonight, I promise you with every piece of my soul that we will. You and me, that's all we'll have and need."

"But what about Mr. Tenpenny?" I questioned with a small smile, feeling a bit better

"Well, I'll just have to go talk to him myself. I'm sure we'll come to an agreement." He responded and sat up to kiss me. I smiled and kissed him back. The next thing I knew, we were back being entwined together under the sheets.

A few hours had passed, and we were sure that Mr. Tenpenny was up by now. The sun was high in the sky and we were getting dressed. As soon as we had our clothes back on, we were ready to get going. But first, he had to go and speak with Mr. Tenpenny about his leaving and such, and left me alone in the room to continue getting ready. As I put my sweater back in, I heard something make a noise in my pocket, and I began to fish for it. I felt the paper and brought it out to examine it. I recognized to warn creases of the paper and I smiled to myself. I made my way towards the bed and began to read the love letters from my Mister Burke. I smiled to myself as I remembered all the times I used to feel so lonely and hoping for him to return. As I read on, I flipped to a page that was written by me and my sorrow. I blinked a few times as I read the small, torn piece of paper and simply laughed. There was no more need to feel such pain; after all, it had been healed. As I read on, I heard a knock on the door and I looked up to say

"You don't need to knock, you can come in." Then as I looked back down to the pages, I smiled as I heard the feet shuffle towards me. Quietly, I said

"Do you remember sending me these? How I loved them so…" Then when I looked up, I saw the gun in my face and I felt my stomach churn. As I trailed my eyes to its owner, I came face to face with that horrible man who wasn't Mister Burke. He looked angry, angrier than he was last night, and as if he were about to explode. The paper fell out of my hands to the ground below and he simply stared at me, with pure hatred in his eyes. Then through his teeth, he said

"You fucking bitch, you weren't supposed to say _anything._"

"B-but I didn-"

"Shut up!" He said and pushed the gun towards my face causing me to go as far back as possible. I stared at him and he angrily said

"I specifically fucking told you not to say a fucking word! And what do you do? You fucking tell that asshole!"

"He is not an asshole!" I shot back and he looked even angrier then. As he began to fume, he said at the top of his lungs

"What did I tell you last night? Huh? I said that if you told anybody, I would kill you! And guess what? I'm going to keep to my word unlike you, you bitch!" Before I could say anything however, I heard the shot and felt it pierce my skin. I was stunned for a minute, and then looked down towards the warmth. And there it was, just as I feared, the place where he had shot me. With trembling fingers, I touched the stain and he simply stared at me with anger in his eyes. The blood wasn't the only liquid that was flooding out of me now, salty tears fell into the crimson as it left me. The next thing I knew, I fell to the ground and watched him leave through the balcony door as we heard someone run to the door, and open it.

As I lay in my own pool of red, drifting in and out of reality, I just barely felt someone lift me up. And even more so just barley recognize who did it, Mister Burke looked at me with disbelief and horror in his eyes. I simply smiled at him, but slightly that is, and reached to touch his face but failed. He simply held mine in his and together we touched his cheek. Quietly, he said

"Who did this to you?"

"The man…from outside of Mr. Tenpenny's door…"

"I know who that is." Mr. Tenpenny said reassuringly "He won't get away with this."

"I left you only for a few minutes, and this happens? I'm such a horrible person, I'm so very sorry my little Sparrow…"

"Don't be…" I said quietly "Don't be…" I looked him in the eye the best I could but I felt the chilly sensation of my being beginning to leave this world. I looked at him and said quietly

"I'm sleepy…"

"No Sparrow, you're not sleepy. Don't close your eyes." He said sternly but I heard the terror in his voice.

"Mister Burke…can you answer me… something?"

"What is it Sparrow?" He said and his voice was harsh and it nearly cracked

"Why did you…leave me…so long ago?" He paused for a second and this was the first time that I had seen him cry. It was either that or the fact that I was slowly losing my mind from the lack of blood. But the way he fell silent told me that he was actually crying. My hand slowly fell out of his as he held me close to him. I waited for him to respond, but I knew time wasn't going to. But in a whisper, he began

"I left a long time ago because I…I was told that you didn't love me anymore. I was told that you found another, and the fact that you couldn't stand me anymore. I was told these lies so long ago…and up until yesterday, I believed…"

"I love you Mister Burke…I have always loved you…" I whispered and smiled at him. I felt the distant peck of a warm tear fall onto my cheek and it stung my heart. How I wished I didn't make him cry. But he held me close to his heart as I got even more tired and colder. How I wished that I could spend just one more moment with him, even if it were just a second. I had waited for so many years to be with him again, I cried so many tears, felt the tinge of jealousy and hate, I traveled the cruel barren wasteland that reminded me of my heart just for him. Everything I did was for him, and here I was, bleeding for just for him. But it was alright, I got to know the truth and spend one more night with him just as I had always wished. Before I departed though, in slurred words, I said

"Mister Burke…please…do one more thing for me…"

"Y-yes?" He spat out

"Just…move on…" I said with a small smile and closed my eyes.

There was no longer anymore blood to bleed, and no more tears to cry.


End file.
